News

Apple unveils iPod nano (updated)

By Jeremy Horwitz ● Wednesday, September 7, 2005

At its special event in San Francisco today, Apple introduced the iPod nano, a completely new iPod that’s thinner than a standard #2 pencil and weighs only 1.5 ounces. The iPod mini replacement is available in 2GB ($199) and 4GB ($249) capacities in either white or black designs. The ultra-compact device features a high-resolution color screen, Click Wheel, and offers up to 14 hours of battery life.

“iPod nano is the biggest revolution since the original iPod,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. “iPod nano is a full-featured iPod in an impossibly small size, and it’s going to change the rules for the entire portable music market.”

The iPod nano has a standard 30-pin Dock Connector (allowing it to work with many current accessories), is compaible with both Mac and Windows via USB 2.0, and offers the ability to display photos and album art. Because it uses flash memory instead of a tiny hard drive for music storage, it provides completely skip-free playback. The updated iPod software also adds a new stopwatch, world clock and screen lock applications.

The iPod nano is available worldwide immediately through the online Apple Store. Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers will begin receiving shipments on or before this weekend..

iPod nano Accessories

Alongside the new iPod nano, Apple announced several new accessories for the device, which the company calls the “most fashionable and wearable iPod ever.” The new gear includes lanyard headphones ($39), which integrate the headphone cables into the lanyard; armbands in five colors, including gray, pink, blue, red and green ($29 each); a set of silicone “Tubes” in five colors, including pink, purple, blue, green and clear ($29); and dock ($29).

Update

iLounge editors Jeremy Horwitz and Dennis Lloyd have had the opportunity to test the iPod nano and check out all of its upcoming accessories. On the accessories front, most interesting is the fact that the new iPod nano Dock is the first such Apple device to include a “variable line-out” port, which attenuates the standard line-out signal downwards from the iPod’s Click Wheel. The company’s silicone “nano Tubes” provide complete protection for the entire iPod nano save its bottom ports, including thin coverage for the Click Wheel and top Hold switch. The lanyard headphones plug simultaneously into the iPod’s bottom headphone port and Dock Connector, using the Connector solely as a securing mechanism and the headphone port as a means to direct headphone audio. Armbands in all of the various colors are similar in perforated arm design to Incase’s recently reviewed iPod and iPod mini neoprene armbands, except open on their tops.

We’ve also learned that the iPod nano will be the company’s first to include the “Universal Dock Adapter,” a plastic plate which guarantees iPod nano docking compatibility with any accessory designed to include it. Nearly 20 companies are already planning products around the UDA design, which is similar to the plastic plates included with speaker accessories from Altec Lansing, Bose, iHome and JBL, and will eliminate the need for participating companies to design iPod-specific plates in the future. The UDA will come in the nano box alongside a USB-to-Dock Connector cable, headphones, the nano hardware, and iTunes 5 software.

We tested the iPod nano briefly with both stock and high-end Ultimate Ears UE-10 Pro earphones, and found the audio quality of the newest iPod to be similar to existing iPods. Bass performance does not appear to have been markedly improved in the nano, and other audio and feature functionality often requested by iLounge readers (enhanced equalizers, FM tuner, etcetera) has not been included. However, the nano’s new stopwatch and lap timer works well, and features a nice metallic interface similar to the one in Apple’s Mac OS X operating system. The new security screen lock and world clock work well and are also easy to set.

The iPod nano will be able to display photos and transfer them from iTunes. According to Apple representatives, it will not be compatible with Apple’s or other photo connectors for straight-to-nano digital picture transfers, and will not be compatible with voice recorder devices, either. Like the iPod mini, nano is solely intended to be a device for media playback and storage, not creation.

Screen quality on the iPod nano is precisely what you’d expect from Apple: highly visible, with bright white backlighting and good resolution comparable to that used on the full-sized color iPod. Despite its small size, it displays text and photographs legibly, and with ease. It duplicates in all key ways the interface of the color iPod, and plays back all the same genres of audio - audiobooks, podcasts, music - without any problems.

Of the new products introduced today, iPod nano is unquestionably the superior, smarter offering. It takes all of the most popular features from the full-sized color iPod and makes them work in a smaller, cheaper enclosure. It’s especially stunning in that it replicates the look and feel of a full-sized iPod in a matching enclosure, rather than shrinking the iPod mini’s anodized aluminum body, as most expected it to do. The black version is especially slick, with its dark gray Click Wheel, but the white version offers familiar beauty in a small size. We cannot wait to provide our full review.

Comments

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82

As an iPhoto owner, I can tell you that protecting the screen is always a concern (not a big deal on my mini). Black or white, the nano will spend all the time in a sleeve. Think about that when choosing a color…

Posted by MacArt on September 8, 2005 at 6:44 AM (CDT)

83

Does anyone know if the black nano has white earphones?

Posted by Planet1960 on September 8, 2005 at 6:48 AM (CDT)

84

Let’s expose the iPod nano for what it really is: a color-screened, flash-based iPod submini. Does Steve really expect anyone to actually buy this piece of crap? His Reality Distortion Field (RDF) just isn’t strong enough to pull this one off. Even the most simpleminded of Windows enthusiasts should be able to see through this underhanded Apple ruse almost immediately. In fact, the 30 GB Dell DJ is on sale right now at dell.com for $239, less than the price of a 4 GB nano!

Posted by shixun on September 8, 2005 at 10:36 AM (CDT)

85

i see two reasons for naming this ipod the nano instead of going for a revised mini.
1. They wanted it to be a hot new product for the holiday. Last year the ipod mini was the toy everyone wanted, so this year they needed something new.

2. Would anyone buy a smaller thinner mini at $200 and $250 and get less memory than the last generation? If it was a new ipod mini, it would have to have 4 and 6 gb for it to sell. ipods have never lowered the capacity in new generations

Posted by mr cow on September 8, 2005 at 2:24 PM (CDT)

86

Does anyone (really) know if the iPod Nano can use the “Autofill” feature in iTunes, just like the Shuffle does??
I don’t want to “think about” what gets loaded onto the Nano….

Posted by Jackson on September 8, 2005 at 4:07 PM (CDT)

87

Apple stole Creative’s mp3 player name. Creative already has a player called the nano, I smell a law suite.

88

I’m going to set the facts straight. The so-called iPod nano is one fourth the size of a standard iPod. nano- is a prefix denoting one billionth. This is clearly a case of false advertising and grounds for a class action lawsuit. I expect that Apple will be forced to pull the iPod nano from the market, or at least change its name to “iPod quarter.” This nanofiasco is going to cost Apple gigabucks!

Posted by shixun on September 9, 2005 at 2:42 AM (CDT)

89

Back in Jan 2005 when Apple launched the iPod Shuffle, I bought one not only because I like all what comes out of Apple but because I found it the best and coolest MP3 player to take to the GYM, but after I used it I found out that the wires of the headphone are long which made it either get tangled with Lanyard that’s holding the Shuffle or the weights am lifting or with the exercise machines at the GYM.
So I had to be extra careful when am exercising which was really annoying.

I thought what if the lanyard was the wire of the headphones? This way I would have less and shorter wires hanging from my nick.
So I photoshoped some photos to show how the headphone of the Shuffle should be and posted them on http://www.geocities.com/dandachikw/index.html
Then I posted the link on the discussions and asked how come apple did not think of this. And I started getting hundred of emails asking how can they can get the
Lanyard Headphone - the name I came up with-
To my surprise apple deleted the post and when a posted it again they canceled my user ID.
Now and after 9 month Apple decide to take my idea and bring it to life and introduce it with the Nano using the same name I came up with “Lanyard Headphones

92

BEFORE I said anything I went an tried the nano…you know it is just right ....it feel great in my hand the size is perfect…the wheel is actually much better ..it’s just great…the color screen is nice….I was thinking the mini was cool..but nothing is has sexy as the nano..Apple may be in trouble after this ..I don’t see how they can make ipod’s any better…this is it…you can put more features or memory but that is it ..they can’t make it any smaller they would lose the wheel..“look at the stuffle”...so this is the sweet spot…maybe it is time for apple to move on from MP3 and maybe get into something else like TV’s or video..or dvd..I don’t know….it’s over….check the nano…you will be surprise….

Posted by kou on September 10, 2005 at 8:08 PM (CDT)

93

When the mini was demo’d, Jobs spent a lot of time dissing the high-end flash players.

Now, a couple of years later, Apple introduces… a high-end flash player.

Color me amused.

Posted by Demosthenes on September 11, 2005 at 10:32 AM (CDT)

94

The Apple Store still sells the ipod mini. In fact there were more minis out on diplay than the new nanos.

96

97

iPod nanos look very cool. The only way they could possibly be cooler is with a battery that is EASILY REPLACEABLE BY THE USER.

Posted by Jack on September 21, 2005 at 4:36 AM (CDT)

98

dudez!!!!!!!!!,i have to say that ipod nano rocks, got the 2gig white nano for my b-day and 2 me, it is the opitomy (dont know if thats spelled right) of portable music players. its so small. u barely even feel it in your pocket. only downers are no firewire and the audio jack is on the bottom so you have to keep unplugging the earphones everytime you charge it. dont matter to me though, i still think it rocks man!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by xbox nerd on September 22, 2005 at 7:55 PM (CDT)

99

dudez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, like, does any 1 know when the nano tubes are coming out? i want 1 man!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by xbox nerd on September 22, 2005 at 7:57 PM (CDT)

100

NANO Rulz!!!!! its a beast and a half!
but i rekon white all the way. just feels more ipoddish